The University of North Carolina’s hiring of Bill Belichick set the sports world ablaze. Perhaps more importantly, the hiring has led to some intrigue among the high school recruits in UNC’s home state.

A couple of players who were already committed to the UNC program reacted on social media.

Demon June, a 3-star senior running back signee from Jacksonville High, posted to his X account “good things come to those who wait #AGTG.”

Zaid Lott, a junior quarterback at Providence Day who was Carolina’s first pledge in the class of 2026, retweeted UNC’s announcement, adding “Let’s do it coach.”

While most of the class of 2025 prospects have already signed a binding letter of intent to attend other universities, North Carolina’s junior class is stacked with top recruits and will be ripe for Belichick’s picking.

When asked about how the hiring of the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach will impact his view of UNC as a contender in his recruitment, Clayton 4-star junior defensive lineman Keshawn Silver said it “definitely opens my eyes a lot more for UNC.”

“I mean, shoot, it’s Bill Belichick, six-time Super Bowl champ as a coach,” Stancil, who is ranked as the No. 208 junior prospect by 247Sports continued. “So it’ll be pretty interesting throughout the process.”

Hough High School’s Samari Matthews, a consensus 4-star prospect in the 2026 class, told HighSchoolOT “It’s definitely crazy he’s in my state. I think it’s going to be interesting for College football, but especially UNC. I’m excited to watch this unfold. As for my recruitment they are in my top 8, and I’m interested to see what he does.”

A player even more local to Belichick’s new home is Jordan High School defensive lineman Noah Clark.

“UNC has replaced a great coach with a great coach and can’t wait to meet the staff and talk to them,” the Durham native said.

Jonathan Dillon, a sophomore wide receiver at Southern Durham High School, picked up a UNC offer before his sophomore campaign. He shared his reaction with HighSchoolOT.

I feel like it is a honor for the players and the staff to have such a high caliber of a coach on their team, especially with the knowledge that he has,” Dillon said. “For me, I would love to have someone with that kind of experience as a head coach. Though this is a great move for UNC, I am keeping my options open as I still have a lot of football to play over the next two years.